


First Kiss

by The_Green_Eyed_Girl



Series: First Time for Everything [1]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: After show buzz, Clueless Niall, First Kiss, Fluff, Just lots of fluff, M/M, That's literally it like that's all there is, clueless
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-30
Updated: 2014-01-30
Packaged: 2018-01-10 13:24:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1160217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Green_Eyed_Girl/pseuds/The_Green_Eyed_Girl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Zayn is hopelessly in love and Niall is one hundred percent clueless</p>
            </blockquote>





	First Kiss

It was a hot day, and the boys were fueled with adrenaline as they sprinted off stage. The roar of the crowd behind stretched smiles across their faces, and really, how could you find a better high than what they felt at that moment? Drugs and alcohol were nothing to the rush of a high-energy performance, and it left them buzzed for hours after it was over.

“That was  _sick_!” Zayn shouted with a broad grin turning sharply to face the others. Louis jumped and laughed loudly.

“The most insane thing ever,” he agreed.

“Did you really have to pull my trousers down  _again?_ ” Harry questioned, though he, too, couldn't keep a wide smile from his face. Liam and Niall came bounding over to them, also full of excitement and joy. None of them cared that the next day would begin in exhaustion- for the moment, they were sure they'd never felt happier.

They messed about backstage long enough to come off the most intense part of the high. They ran around with the musicians and dodged Paul and Preston whenever one of them happened to pass. When they finally were rounded up and taken to the bus, though, they still had too much energy to sleep.

They all sat on the couch and joked about the stunts pulled during the performance; of the ones they had reused from past shows and those which were new. Through the entire conversation, though, Zayn remained quiet. He laughed along with them, but otherwise did not speak a word. His eyes were not so silenced, however, as they drifted to Niall even when the young Irishman wasn't speaking.

To the other boys this went unnoticed, but Niall caught Zayn staring more than a few times. He saw how the smile would slowly fade from his lips and he would tilt his head just slightly, as though deep in thought. Which wasn't strange, Zayn often went into a deeper mindset after the buzz of a show began wearing off- but why was he staring so intently towards Niall? And why did he look away every time Niall shot him a questioning glance?

Finally, one by one, the need for sleep took over and the boys bid eachother good night as they climbed into their bunks. All but Zayn, that is, and Niall stopped at the doorway to look back at his sulky friend. “Are you not tired?” he asked. He meant it to be teasing, but Zayn seemed to be all out of fake smiles. He kept an emotionless I'm-thinking-stop-messing-me-up face as he looked up.

“Just not enough to sleep right now,” he stated, looking towards Niall but never completely at him. Niall sighed quietly, turned around, and padded softly to sit beside Zayn.

Zayn was sitting on the couch in way that his legs were not quiet beneath him, but slightly to side, and was leaning against the arm.

“Okay, what's up?” Niall asked carefully as he brought his legs beneath him and lay his hands in his lap.

Zayn shrugged. “Nothing. What's up with you?”

Niall narrowed his eyes at Zayn. “Nothing? Zayn, you've been acting weird ever since the show ended. Before that, you were fine, but now all the sudden you won't even look me in the eye. Did I do something to piss you off?” Niall asked.

Zayn shook his head and refused now to even look in Niall's general direction. Niall's frustration intensified.

But instead of becoming angrier, Niall grew sullen. He frowned and edged closer to the boy, leaning slightly to try to look him in the eye. “We're best mates, Zayn... aren't we? If I did something wrong, you can tell me. That's what best mates do, Zayn, they talk to eachother when something's not right.”

He saw Zayn swallow roughly. The older boy fidgeted in his seat, then finally looked back to Niall. “It's nothing you did, Niall, it's... have you ever had those weird moments where everything's going great, and you're really happy- but then out of nowhere, you're reminded of something that's missing? Of something you need so badly but that you know you're probably never going to have?”

Niall tilted his head in confusion. “Not really... if you're talking about smoking then like, Zayn, I know you're trying to quit but if you really need it  _that badly_..,” Niall trailed, an eyebrow raised.

Zayn shook his head. “No, it's not smoking. Just forget it, it's stupid anyways.”

“No no no, don't do the I'm-closing-off-and-pretending-what-I-was-going-to-say-isn't-important-except-that-it-is thing. Tell me what you mean.”

“Have you.. have you ever had feelings for someone you know who you shouldn't have feelings for?” Zayn asked quietly, head bowed but daring a glance at Niall.

Niall thought for a moment of the people he had feelings for, or once did. There was Holly, but why should not have had feelings for her? Granted, it didn't go so well when they broke up, but what relationship does? His mind trailed to the only other person he'd ever had any “feelings” for, and a blush rose to his cheeks. So perhaps the last thought was borderline  _bad idea_ , but again, he couldn't see why he  _shouldn't_ feel anything for the person.

“No,” he stated, not allowing any doubt to slip into his voice. Zayn looked a bit deflated, but it was too subtle for Niall to notice.

“Then you won't get it.”

“Try me.”

Zayn groaned in the back of his throat. “It's like... having feelings for someone and you know it's wrong to.. Like it's  _physically wrong_  and  _socially wrong_ and everyone is going to hate you when they find out-”

“Zayn?”

“...yeah?”

Niall tilted his head. “This... 'someone'. Is it a guy? Because I can't think of anyone else who you'd think it was wrong to have feelings for. Except like your sister but that's just gross.”

Zayn shot him a look but chose to ignore the last statement. He swallowed and nodded.

“Does he know how you feel yet?”

Zayn looked up and considered Niall for a moment. The tone of his voice was curious- he didn't sound as though he were implying anything.  _Why do you have to be so clueless all the time? Don't you get it, stupid, I'm talking about you!_

Zayn frowned and gave a sigh. “No, I guess he doesn't.”

Niall's eyes widened in shock. “You need to tell him, then! Like what if something happens? What if this bus flips over on the freeway and we all die? What if he's inside a park gazebo and it catches on fire and he burns alive because flaming wood shavings fell into his eyes, and he couldn't find the way out? What if the world were to end right now, Zayn, with you pining after this guy and he doesn't even know how you really feel about him? Like right now, call him or Skype him or something!”

Zayn sat up straighter and widened his eyes are Niall. The younger boy blushed and shrank back .”Sorry... I was reading this thing that popped up on my computer screen the other day and it was like about how humans have really short lives and crap.. I think I got a little too into it.”

Zayn nodded and relaxed.

“So... how are you going to tell him?”

“Huh?”

Niall bit his lip. “Sorry, I know, none of my business..”

“No, no, I just.. I never really thought about how I'd do it.”

Niall looked back at him. “Do you know him really well?”

Zayn nodded. “Really,  _really_ well,” he emphasized, staring at Niall a bit harder and longer than was necessary.

Niall grinned. “You should surprise him, I think. When he least expects it, just come out with it. Like, just grab him all the sudden and kiss him like it's a normal thing- so that way if he feels the same you'll know right away because he'll probably start kissing you back.”

“You've, uh, you've put some thought into this then..?”

Niall blushed and gave Zayn a rather spooked look. “W-what? No! I mean yes. Just a little. Okay a lot, but that's not the point!”

Zayn grinned at him, but still felt a bittersweet taste in the back of his mouth. Did Niall understand any of what Zayn was saying? Did he not know how head-over-heels Zayn was for him, or was this his gentle way of rejecting him?

“It's something to think about. Thanks, Niall, for helping me- but I think we should both gets some sleep before the sun comes up, yeah?”

Niall grinned broadly and nodded, then followed Zayn to the bunks.

The next day's schedule was similar, only instead of a show at the end of the day, they finished with a recording session (which Zayn didn't focus much in, considering Niall immediately stripped off his shirt as soon as he was in front of the mike).

They were there until late in the night, but left with the promise of a easier day tomorrow. As they other boys and the recording team began to leave the room, Zayn hung back. He felt a trill of anxiety run down his spine; he knew it was time to act.  _It's_   _now or never_ , he told himself.

“Niall!” Zayn called, causing the blonde to turn around from where he'd been striding through the doorway. Before he had a chance to ask why Zayn had called, the older boy had him by the arm and was pressing his lips urgently against Niall's. Niall's eyes widened and he froze for a moment. Zayn nearly pulled back, nearly began a steady stream of awkward apologies; but suddenly Niall kissed back with a passion Zayn didn't know he was capable of. He wrapped his arms around Zayn's neck, and Zayn slipped an arm around Niall's waist. He brought his free hand to cup the side of Niall's jaw.

The kiss lasted for only a few more seconds before Niall broke the contact. They were both panting slightly- it had gotten a bit more heated than Zayn thought it would. “But Zayn, what about the guy you were talking about last night-"

Zayn shook his head and let out a bark of laughter. “You idiot, it was you,” he breathed, leaning in to kiss him again. He felt Niall smiling into the kiss.

This time, though, it was softer and gentler. Their lips moved together perfectly, and their bodies were pressed as close together as they could possibly be. It was everything Zayn had hope it would be, and so much more. Niall's lips were soft, and Zayn could feel a burst of warmth spread throughout his body.

As the kiss was broken and they stood with their foreheads pressed together, swaying gently to their own silent beat in the dark recording room, Zayn smiled and murmured softly, “It's always been you.”


End file.
